Perhaps a new trend hitting the mobile industry? Mobile companies with audio companies? Recently HTC partnered with Beats audio, now it’s Nokia’s turn, co-designing and co-developing a new line of headsets/headphones with Monster. The result? The Nokia Purity HD Stereo Headset by Monster and the in-ear Nokia Purity Stereo Headset by Monster. Nokia does have a history with high performance audio accessories like the BH-505, BH-905, BH-905i, BH-214 and recently the Essence, so it should be interesting whether they will continue with this BH line or push higher performing devices towards the Purity line. There’s also dedicated site for the new line at www.puritybymonster.com.

Ironically a quick look at the Monster website, shows Beats headphones, but  none of the Purity headphones.

One thing is for sure, the Purity line matches the Lumia design and they look extremely good. Judging by Nokia’s previous audio products and Monster background they should sound good too, but I’ll leave that to a future review to decide just how good. What I  like is the fact that these use tangle-resistant cables, similar to what Beats has been doing and the cables are replaceable. And lastly these seem to be a rare breed of performance head/earphones that are specifically designed for mobile with some specific Nokia/Windows Phone integration as you can see below:

Nokia just announced the  Windows Phone based Lumia 800 smartphone. There were some rumors floating around about a Lumia 900 devices, but I doubt that’s going to happen at this Nokia World as the biggest announcements usually happen on Day 1. This means that the Lumia 800 is going to be the top dog for now. Here’s a quick recap and commentary of those important bits and pieces.

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Not going to Nokia World? Luckily you can follow all the action right at home in your pajamas. This is a quick post reminding everyone that you can watch the entire event at http://events.nokia.com/nokiaworld/ with the usual exciting product launches and new services. The keynotes start at 9AM (UK Time) on October the 26th (That’s tomorrow!), so if you’re not in Europe you’ll probably be in those pajamas. Do bookmark that link as the event continues on the 27th. It’s all about the devices right? In typical Nokia World fashion these will surely be unveiled tomorrow instead of the 27th.

Personally I’m looking forward to that Nokia Lumia 800, but also some new accessories and maybe even some surprises!

Introduction

As somebody that’s passionate about music, I prefer a very specific combo: in-ear type earphones with a portable amp. The reason is simple, if audio is your number one priority, this combo easily outperforms any other setup. An added bonus is the fact that in-ear earphones basically act like earplugs, passively providing lots of sound isolation.

As always, there’s a catch: this setup isn’t that very portable or convenient: In-ear earphones, usually called In-ear-monitors or IEM require a tight seal in order to perform, requiring the need to be placed uncomfortably deep inside the ear-canal. For this reason they also require constant cleaning and it’s also the reason why IEM are not something you could share with others.

Another difficulty comes from the fact that you need to put them in correctly, requiring specific techniques like slightly opening the jaw or moisturizing the sleeves. Many first-time IEM buyers usually don’t know about these techniques and end up with a subpar listening experience. They are extremely effective at blocking out all sounds, meaning that throughout the day you’ll find yourself constantly taking them out just to have a normal conversation.  Lastly, there’s also the issue with wires and lugging around an amp isn’t my idea of fun.  I needed something more practical which brought me to the Nokia BH-905 and the updated BH-905i. Armed with almost $500 worth of 905 goodness I set to answer the question: IEM (Shure SE535 and SE425), 905 or 905i?

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